Our Experience

Anthony W. Butch, Ph.D., is director of the CIRL and Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He is also Director of the Clinical Chemistry/Immunochemistry sections of the clinical laboratory at the UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Butch received his training in tumor immunology in the Department of Immunology & Microbiology at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. He then moved to St. Louis and was a post-doctoral fellow at Washington University and received additional training as a cellular immunologist with an emphasis on cellular immune assays and flow cytometry. He then became Director of Clinical Immunology and Chemistry at the University of Arkansas and developed a research program investigating the role of dendritic cells in regulation of T cell effector function. Dr. Butch has published more than 100 papers, abstracts and book chapters, serves on 2 editorial boards, and is an Ad-Hoc reviewer for 11 journals. He has been actively involved in immune-based assay development and validation for more than 20 years.

Najib Aziz, M.D. is manager and technical specialist all areas of the CIRL. He has worked with immunological assays since 1988 at UCLA and oversees all aspects of testing, including the rigorous quality control program. He has a background in general medicine that was obtained in Afghanistan during his training as a physician and as Assistant Professor in the school of Medicine, Kabul University. He has published more than 25 papers and abstracts, served as an editorial board member of the Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology journal from 2000-2004 and peer-reviewed manuscripts as a result of his work with the CIRL. Dr. Aziz plays a critical role in the development of new technologies and assays, and serves as an important liaison between the laboratory and principle investigators.